How to Respond to Online Brand and Reputation Attacks

Whitney Gibson, a partner in the Vorys Cincinnati office and the leader of the firm’s internet defamation group, authored an article for Social Media Explorer titled “How to Respond to Online Brand and Reputation Attacks.”  In the article, Gibson says that online attacks have become one of the easiest and most impactful mechanisms for individuals and companies to cause serious harm to businesses.

The article states:

“These types of attacks can originate from a variety of sources, but most commonly the ‘attackers’ are competitors, disgruntled employees, unhappy customers, dissatisfied investors, extortionists or other people and businesses who become upset with a company and want to cause that company serious damage.

Further, these attacks come in many forms, including:

• Making a slew of defamatory postings on gripe websites such as Ripoff Report and Pissed Consumer;
• Posting false information on social media websites or apps, including Facebook and Twitter;
• Anonymously sending defamatory emails to clients or customers;
• Posting false reviews on Yelp or similar websites; altering Wikipedia entries about a company or particular executives in an embarrassing or otherwise harmful way; or
• Creating websites or blogs and posting disparaging information on these platforms.

This type of conduct is often misperceived as being protected. It is not.”

To read the entire article, visit the Social Media Explorer website.